Prelims

Half Title Page

Advances in Group Processes

Series Title Page

Advances in Group Processes

Series Coeditors: Edward J. Lawler and Shane R. Thye

Recent Volumes:

Editorial Advisory Board

• Jessica Collett

• University of California, Los Angeles, USA

• Joseph Dippong

• University of North Carolina, Charlotte, USA

• Ashley Harrell

• Duke University, USA

• Karen Hegtvedt

• Emory University, USA

• Will Kalkhoff

• Kent State University, USA

• Jeff Lucas

• University of Maryland, USA

• Joseph Quinn

• University of South Carolina, USA

• Jane Sell

• Texas A&M University, USA

Title Page

Advances in Group Processes Volume 41

Advances in Group Processes

Edited by

Shane R. Thye

University of South Carolina, USA

Will Kalkhoff

Kent State University, USA

And

Edward J. Lawler

Cornell University, USA

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

Copyright Page

Emerald Publishing Limited

Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL

First edition 2025

Editorial matter and selection © 2025 Shane R. Thye, Will Kalkhoff and Edward J. Lawler.

Individual chapters © 2025 The authors.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

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No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters' suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83608-701-4 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83608-700-7 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83608-702-1 (Epub)

ISSN: 0882-6145 (Series)

List of Contributors

Preface

Advances in Group Processes is a peer-reviewed annual volume that publishes theoretical analyses, reviews, and theory-based empirical chapters on group phenomena. This series adopts a broad conception of “group processes.” This includes work on groups ranging from the very small to the very large, and on classic and contemporary topics such as status, power, trust, justice, conflict, social influence, heuristics, identity, decision-making, intergroup relations, and social networks. Previous contributors have included scholars from diverse fields including sociology, psychology, political science, economics, business, philosophy, computer science, mathematics, and organizational behavior.

Several years ago, we added an editorial board to the series to broaden the review process and draw upon the collective expertise of some of the top scholars in the discipline. That board consists of Jessica Collett, Joseph Dippong, Ashley Harrell, Karen Hegtvedt, Will Kalkhoff, Jeff Lucas, Joseph Quinn, and Jane Sell. This group of scholars has made the series better and we are grateful for their service, guidance, and advice.

The volume opens with three chapters that make significant contributions to the social identity tradition. First, Jan E. Stets and Peter J. Burke provide a comprehensive review of recent theoretical and empirical work in the social identity tradition. Discussed are advances in the understanding of racial and/or stigmatized identities, how identity theory integrates with other theoretical traditions, and advances in conceptualizing identity characteristics. This is the first review of its kind in a decade and so should interest anyone attempting to get current on the identity literature. Next, Chelsea Rae Kelly uses affect control theory and a primary college student dataset to compare cultural meanings of popular romantic relationship labels – and the corresponding relational identities they give to their occupants – for dyad labels both defined (non-hookup culture relationship labels, e.g., “exclusively dating”) and undefined (hookup culture “situationship” labels, e.g., “talking to;” “hanging out;” “hooking up”). She shows that different labels have mutually exclusive (between label) and culturally-shared (between persons) affective meanings within and across the two cultural frameworks. Through subsequent EPA profile comparisons and Interact simulations, she shows the culturally-predicted identity, consequent emotion, and behavioral expectation-related outcomes of different relationship label adoptions. Finally, Robert E. Freeland, Lynn Smith-Lovin, Kimberly B. Rogers, Jesse Hoey, and Joseph Quinn measure individual beliefs regarding the gender makeup of different occupations and ask if there are differences between perceived and actual gender makeup. Integrating three unique datasets, they find that (i) individuals underestimate levels of occupational segregation and (ii) sentiments regarding gender significantly impact the perceived gender composition of occupations. This chapter has implications for how people consider the occupations that they choose and is the first study of its kind to utilize data from every census occupation listed. This work opens the door for occupational scholars to examine such identities in novel and exciting new ways. Together, these three chapters make important and much needed contributions to the social identity landscape.

The next two chapters examine issues within the exchange tradition. Joseph Quinn and Ashley Harrell ask how the variety and diversity of exchange networks impact an individual's trust toward strangers at a later point in time. Using the Affect Theory of Social Exchange, they examine how the forms of exchange alter the decision to trust a new individual in a one-shot trust game who either shares (or does not share) a salient social identity. The results indicate that form of exchange (e.g., productive exchange), but not identity diversity, is the key predictor of subsequent trust. The implication is that the positive impact associated with form of exchange can overwhelm the deleterious impact of out-group identity. The work suggests interesting intervention possibilities that might overcome the negative outcomes associated with out-group bias. Next Scott V. Savage and Monica M. Whitham examine how the refusal or acceptance of offers affects the ultimate distribution of benefits in a reciprocal exchange structure; they also vary the amount of information individuals have regarding whether offered benefits are accepted or refused from one's partner. In general, they find (i) that people tend to give more when they have more information about acceptances and refusals and (ii) that information about the structure of the network may eliminate this effect. This chapter is one of the few to examine how accepting and rejecting offers impacts future exchange processes. Both chapters add depth to an extensive literature on the effects of repeated exchange and the importance of the form of exchange.

The last four chapters address issues related to status and discrimination processes. Joseph Dippong and Zara Jillani investigate how vocal accommodation (i.e., the shifting of voice frequencies among interacting partners) impacts social influence and performance expectations in dyadic interaction. Using data from a laboratory experiment they find that vocal accommodation is a significant predictor of social influence and that performance expectations mediate this relationship. The study illustrates how this technology may be useful as a new unobtrusive measure of status accommodation in groups and opens the possibility to new kinds of investigations in a variety of more naturalistic environments, given that vocal data are readily and often publicly available. Second, Christabel L. Rogalin and associates ask whether or not the characteristics of efficient leaders are more closely associated with men or women, and whether those perceived associations (when attached to the task at hand) give men advantages over women. The results from a laboratory and online survey experiment indicate that men are perceived to be more closely aligned with the characteristics of effective leaders than women, and that when these characteristics are attached to a group task, this significantly advantages men. The implication is that women may be broadly disadvantaged by these associations, net of their actual competency relative to male counterparts.

Next Malissa Alinor and Yvonne Chen explore the coping strategies people use in response to discrimination and examine how long-standing norms impact those strategies. To investigate these questions, they conduct qualitative interviews with 34 black and Asian Americans regarding how they cope with instances of racial discrimination. The findings indicate a variety of mechanisms: including humor, seeking social support from family friends, and other coping strategies. They find that African Americans are more likely to seek parental support whereas Asians prefer talking to siblings or more distant relatives. The study illustrates how cultural norms can shape the manner of social support individuals seek when dealing with these forms of discrimination. Finally, Anne E. Haas and Hanna J. G. Rupert examine how physical attractiveness and a task cue they call “working smart” can allow certain women to attain higher status than others in dyadic interactions. Using qualitative comparative analysis, they examine data from a study regarding the impact of physical attractiveness on verbal measures of status. The results indicate that more work-efficient women attain higher status overall and this difference is accentuated when those women are also physically attractive. This study provides yet another way to check the veracity of Status Characteristics Theory using novel data and coheres with decades of research documenting the benefits of physical attractiveness. Together, these final four chapters make important strides to deepen our understanding of status processes in groups large and small.

Shane R. Thye, Will Kalkhoff, and Edward J. Lawler

Volume Co-editors